Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and launch startups.

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Houston’s November 2011 Top 3 Teams

We had 12 amazing teams who took their ideas and developed viable tech startups over the course of a weekend at the November 2011 Houston Startup Weekend.

Please take a few moments and visit our top 3 teams’ websites and sign-up for their updates, then share the event and teams with your friends and community. Also, our 1st Place team Tapja is competing in Global Startup Battle against other 1st place teams from Startup Weekends around the world. Please Vote for Tapja and show the world that Houston is one of the top cities for technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation!

Here are the top 3 winning teams from the November Houston Startup Weekend:

Tapja - http://tapja.com

Tapja is an interactive e-book that lets children create their own storybook. Tapja will be accessible from web browsers, iPad, Kindle Fire, and other mobile devices. Now in the final rounds of the Global Startup Battle, they’re competing against 40+ countries. Vote to promote storytelling and have a chance to win a Kindle Fire!

My Flash Spy - http://myflashspy.com

Too many flash sale sites too little time! MyFlashSpy combines over 85 flash sales sites in one place and customizes your flash sales based on the brands that you choose. Members also receive a ”personalized” flash sale of 5 items/week , curated by our expert stylists and high tech recommendation engine based on your purchase habits and style preferences.

My Flash Spy has applied to the SXSW accelerator contest and the team is applying for the Women 2.0 pitch competition. Look for an official launch in March.

Talk Theatre - http://yourtalktheatre.appspot.com

TalkTheatre is a service that allows independent filmmakers to obtain detailed, granular feedback data from a varied demographic audience for their works in progress. Through the TalkTheatre website, indie filmmakers can issue private screenings to limited audiences. These viewers are encouraged to give detailed feedback on all aspects of the video. This feedback can then be used by the filmmaker to determine which parts of the film/clip resonated with the audience and influence post-production decisions.

Saturday Wrap-up

What a busy day! Attendees were still hard at work at midnight. Even now, in the middle of the night, there is evidence of teams at work.

Thank you to all our mentors and to Richard Yoo for spending time helping team’s execute on their ideas.

More details on Saturday’s events will be included in the event wrap-up post.

Houston Startup Weekend Friday Night Wrap-Up

Houston Startup Weekend is underway! The initial introductions are over and the team forming process begun. Thank you to tonight’s presenters for setting the stage for what promises to be a weekend filled with great ideas and lots of execution. We learned about the national Startup Weekend organization and Global Entrepreneurship Week from Startup Weekend National Facilitator Tawnee Rebhuhn. Developer Evangelist Keith Casey demonstrated resources available via Twilio. We also heard from keynote speaker Adam Stacoviak, host of Founder’s Talk, about his startups experiences and advice. Greg Wright, Director of IT Acceleration at Houston Technology Center, built on the themes Adam covered through his remarks on this weekend’s judging process.

After the presentations, it was time to pitch. Thank you to everyone who stood up and shared ideas in 60 seconds flat. After listening to more than 30 pitches, a dozen ideas rose to the surface. Teams formed and the brainstorming began, with many teams staying late into the evening.

Startup Weekend resumes again at 9AM Saturday morning.

Houston Startup Weekend Starts Tonight!

We hope you’re all as excited as we are about Houston Startup Weekend tonight! Here are some final details for you:

Doors open tonight at 5:30 PM at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston. Directions and parking information can be found here.
A pizza dinner will be waiting for you on upon your arrival. For entertainment, Andrew Karnavas will be playing and a Smilebooth photobooth available for taking pictures.
We will officially kick off the event at 6:45 PM. Our speaker for the evening will be Founders Talk host Adam Stacoviak.
The Friday night pitching process will be explained at the event, but here are a few key points in the meantime:
Pitches are 60 seconds. This will be strictly enforced.
You may have just one chance to pitch tonight, depending on how many people want to pitch tonight. So – pitch your best idea first.
No Powerpoints will be used — just your voice.
Throughout the weekend, photographs and video/audio recordings will be taken of attendees, the competition, and all the excitement. We want to capture the event for you to share with your friends and family afterwards. More information can be found on our Photos page.
Please bring a valid ID showing your age, if you plan on drinking wine or beer at any time during the event. If you are a student, please also remember to bring your student ID.

Links to additional information, including tips on how to prepare, what to expect, and what to bring, can be found on the Event Info page, along with the latest Event Agenda.

See you later today.

- The Startup Weekend Organizers

Meet the Judges: Joe Meppelink, Director of UHGBC and Principal at Metalab

Joe Meppelink serves as an Assistant Professor and Director of Applied Research at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. As part of his duties at UH, Joe has coordinated the efforts of the University of Houston Green Building Components (UHGBC) applied research program since its inception in 2008. He also is Principal at Metalab, which specializes in advanced 3d modeling and digital fabrication. At Metalab, Joe has worked on SPACE - Solar Powered Adaptive Containers for Everyone. Seventeen SPACE units are currently being built for the City of Houston for use after a widespread power outage, such as Hurrican Ike.